The Red Right Hand
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LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
The System Must Pay

Director
F. Gary Gray

Starring
Jamie Foxx
Gerard Butler
Colm Meaney

One of my favourite novels happens to be The Count Of Monte Cristo - a story of betrayal, wrongful imprisonment and revenge. I'm not saying Law Abiding Citizen comes close to that but I imagine it will certainly share a common audience mindset: those that feel let down by the systems in place.

Law Abiding Citizen opens with the murder of Clyde Shelton's [Butler] wife and young daughter. Following one of the criminal's agreement to testify against his partner, lawyer Nick Rice [Foxx], makes a deal for a shorter sentence. Disgusted and outraged by what he sees as a foul injustice, Shelton refuses but Rice explains "it's already done." Ten years after delivering sentence, one of the criminals due for execution suffers a grisly end; suspecting Shelton, Rice and Detective Dunnigan [Meany] arrest and imprison him for questioning. However, it quickly becomes apparent that his stubborn refusal to fully confess/cooperate and the discovery of the disfigured and mutilated corpse of the second criminal is all part of a grand scheme. As the film progresses, we are informed that the only reason Shelton is in prison is because he wants to be and that he plans on systematically executing all involved in what he sees as a broken, corrupt system.

**Spoiler at end of paragraph**
As stated, with the release of Taken, Death Sentence and the upcoming Edge Of Darkness there appears to be great demand for vigilante justice from audiences who feel let down by their governments and abandoned by laws that protect the criminal more than the citizen. Despite that, this film deals with the disposal of the criminals a little too quickly for audiences to deal with and Shelton's targeting of 'innocent' Government officials will no doubt doom its commercial release. To explain, Americans get touchy with terrorism and Shelton's acts, though I almost agree with them, are still acts of terrorism. As such, the argument of how far he goes and the actions he takes against the non-archetypal bad guy spends the majority of its time in that grey area; hence the ending. Spoiler time kiddies, better look away now if you don't want to ruin anything. A lot of people are going to feel a little cheated with the ending for one of two main reasons. The first will be those who disagree with Shelton's actions, believing him to be little more than a criminal; they will hate the ending for being too neat, stating that Rice won't really learn anything. Then there are those who fully agree with Shelton, who will want to see him go through with his plan. I can tell you now, the ending was pitch perfect for two reasons. First off, we have the fact that it's probable that Rice won't really change his ways but all Shelton wanted him to do was convince Rice to stop making deals with murderers and start treating them like criminals to be punished. There are also clues throughout the film that imply Shelton has issues with his actions and the necessity he places upon them. For those that believe he should have succeeded, this wouldn't work either because time-and-again we are told about the career-hungry nature of these professionals and how worse, more unscrupulous figures would replace them. This is signified by the fact that the cell doesn't just explode at the end but flames slowly engulf the wall. It's a metaphor for a personal hell that Shelton has created to cope with his misery and acceptance that he has become the thing he hates and deserves to be held responsible. Make sense? Good.

The acting was all reasonable and engrossing; Butler & Foxx face off well and the addition of Colm Meany is good but grossly underused. Unfortunately, the female characters are worse off and serve only to get in trouble or heighten senses of guilt. We're constantly reminded these men are driven in the name of their families (to protect/provide/avenge) but for the most part, they're simply out to serve their own egos - an aspect which was rather underplayed and should have been explored more. Then there are the holes. What we have here is a tale of a mastermind exacting vengeance upon others. As such, this calls for overly complex plans that use extreme subtlety to explain motives and rely heavily on knowing exactly how the victims will act. Which will leave many asking - why did he get arrested just to kill everyone? Surely this is just an overly-elaborate effect for the sole purposes of film? Essentially, it's about making a statement about the inefficiencies of the judicial system and teaching others a lesson. . . but then we get into the whole realms of quis custodiet ipsos custodes and who gets to say what constitutes real justice.

As far as clever action flicks go, this one is damned impressive - even if you are required to suspend a considerable amount of disbelief - culminating the writer and director's previous works; such as The Neogtiator, Street Kings and The Recruit. Ultimately, this movie serves to remind us of something that I preach continuously and with absolute sincerity: there is no justice.

Release Date:
27th November 2009

The Scene To Look Out For:
During his trial, Shelton wishes to represent himself. After shouting down Rice with complaints of constitutional violations and quoting certain previous cases, the judge sides with Shelton. As she is about to pass sentence, Shelton grows even more enraged and directs his rant toward the court official, explaining that he obviously killed those two men but just because he's quoted a few books and laws, she's ready to put him right back on the street. It's a poignant moment and extremely amusing, if only because it clearly demonstrates the only person with any control over the situation is Shelton and his desire to do little more than make a statement.

Notable Characters:
Many people have issue with Butler's acting but I found that his character was constantly at odds with his actions, unable to decide whether they were in any way justifiable. Furthermore, his sparring interactions with Foxx and others around him were greatly entertaining.

Highlighted Quote:
"Lessons not learned in blood are soon forgotten"

In A Few Words:
"Dark, well-told tale of vigilante justice but certainly not for everyone"

Total Score:
8/10


Matthew Stogdon